Gateway Sydney: the new-look Circular Quay

Author: Maggie Scardifield

3:47PM, Aug 17, 2016

Circular Quay's dining scene is about to be completely
shaken up with a with a brand new food and retail precinct. Here's
what to expect.

Seagulls and McDonald's fries. The Paragon. Pokémon GO. Circular
Quay holds a special place in many Sydneysiders' hearts, but
perhaps not for its sophistication or quality dining. This is set
to change in September, when the first stage of a flash $60 million
food and retail development is revealed.

The new precinct, named Gateway Sydney, spans three blocks from
Alfred Street to Loftus Street and Reiby Place. Woods Bagot, the
firm charged with the new design, is positive that Gateway Sydney
will help to rejuvenate and redefine the Quay. "It's deepening the
quality and complexity of the community there," says Domenic
Alvaro, the firm's principal architect. "The idea is that it will
become more of a destination."

The heart of the new precinct will be a three-level
glass-fronted and sandstone-wrapped dining space housing a number
of new eateries - with Neil Perry's fifth Burger Project, a Chat
Thai, Adriano Zumbo and Gelato Messina among them. Popina, a
200-seat Mediterranean-leaning restaurant and rooftop cocktail bar,
will also open on the top floor - a collaboration between the
owners of Salt Meats Cheese and Shuk café in North Bondi. The
materials chosen for the site are a nod to the maritime history of
the area and The Rocks.

Neil Perry says the redevelopment is a no-brainer. "Circular
Quay is such an integral part of Sydney. Thousands of people pass
through every day, whether it's on their way to work, on their way
home or to simply take in the surrounds of the Opera House and
Harbour Bridge," he says. "Gateway will give people a good reason
to stop and enjoy, rather than just pass through."

The project has been in development now for more than two years,
and Woods Bagot has looked to Sydney suburbs such as Potts Point
and Surry Hills for inspiration. "What we're trying to do is bring
that level of sophistication and character to the Quay," says
Alvaro. "It's not a mall, we're trying to avoid that and keep a
boutique quality."

Gateway's various eateries will begin opening in September and
continue into October and November. Across the harbour, Tramsheds
Harold Park, at the heritage-listed Rozelle Tramshed Depot, is also
slated to open in September with new ventures from Bodega, Tokyo
Bird, Eugenio Maiale, Belles Hot Chicken and more.